Design
(1)

Unknown

The Victoria and Albert Museum

This is a design for embroidery on muslin or gauze. It is probably for an apron which women wore over a gown as fashionable informal dress. The design shows a right-angled pattern and thus the bottom right corner of the apron. There is another design in the group of patterns from which it comes that also shows a right-angle which is inscribed 'Apron Lady Webster' E.247-1973. The designs comes from a group of designs that were part of a retailer's archive which employed professional embroiderers. The names of the female clients inscribed on the designs were of the aristocracy, gentry or from wealthy families that moved in the upper reaches of society. They had homes in the country and came to London for the season. Retailers who sold such designs were linen drapers and lacemakers, both of which categories existed in London and were available to the clients. Many pattern drawers worked in London where their trade proved a lucrative business during the season. The similarity of some of the designs from this group to those by Mr Styart whose designs were published in <u>The Fashionable Magazine</u> in London in 1786 does support the argument that these designs came from a retailer's archive based in London.